Veil of Time: The prequel
by akeboshi shiba
Summary: With failure comes success, that was the saying right? What if failure meant death? What if the entire reason Madara fell into despair was because of failure. what if it was a failure to protect the ones he cared for? What if he had relied on someone else a little too much? i would recommend reading this one first, but it isnt finished yet, so you can read the veil of time.
1. Chapter 1

The end? That's madness! This is…THE PREQUEL! (sorry…I just felt I had to do it…) just as well…here is the Prequel!

Things could have been different…so much different. The pain she felt…it was nothing…nothing compared to the fact she had still failed. She felt useless, just as useless as everyone had called her. The looks, the words, their actions towards her, they all said she was a failure. What right did she have to attempt to save the future by saving the past? Perhaps someone stronger could have…like Neji…but no, it had been her to attempt to do so. His dark eyes screamed out to her, just as he appeared to actually be yelling…but she couldn't hear anything.

His eyes were glistening, but she knew he wasn't about to cry; he wouldn't…not for her…would he? No. The only ones he cried for were the ones she failed to save. He had grown cold, but every time she had failed him, she had seen him cry…then she had seen the hatred. This man…was fearless now. Cold, fearless, and he hated her. She knew he did…she had proven herself to be quite useless in his eyes.

Her eyes drifted down to her stomach, the shining metal was coated in her blood. This was all a mistake, she should have never come to this time…not for him…not for anyone…but, she could have made it out of this alive. If she hadn't gotten to know him the way she had…if she hadn't fallen in love with the dark soul he was. Everyone makes mistakes…but this was the biggest mistake she had ever made. She didn't regret falling for him; he had been the perfect person for any Kunoichi to fall for. He was strong…brave…he wasn't loud or obnoxious…he had once held a kind heart but her failures had turned him cold…he in his own right was the meaning of perfection, she had just brought him down with her...

Her heartbeat slowed; her lips felt like ice compared to the warmth her blood gave them. She had done this for him, as one last chance to say she was sorry; sorry that she had failed them all. The sword had been removed a little earlier and now the blood trickled freely from her opened mouth. It…it burned to breathe. She closed her eyes as she felt herself going cold; she knew she was fading away and wouldn't be alive much longer. She had fallen to her knees, but she didn't feel anything. Her vision began dulling and she could hardly see.

What she did see was the man before her, crying. He hadn't meant to kill her…he was fighting the other man, the one she cared so deeply for, but she had gotten in the way. She could tell he hadn't meant to hurt her; he had quickly removed the blade once his shock had worn off. He held her in his arms, her head lolling to his upper arm. He held her to himself tightly, she could understand why…or so she thought. He had just caused the death of an innocent; she figured that's what his thoughts were. She hadn't trusted him, nor had she trusted his brother; but she had understood them. She figured that they thought of her as a younger sister, even though she had been weary of them. Even so, they had treated her like she belonged. She had lived with him…they had taken care of her; but she betrayed them…for the one they were fighting…

Her eyes drifted over to the dark eyed man that had fallen to his knees, his hand outstretched to her; his eyes held pain…regret…sorrow…and the emotion that she had seen every time he had looked at his younger brother…she saw the love in his eyes, it was pained…but it was still love, although subtle. But something wasn't right about him either, he appeared to have blood on his lips, she figured he had gotten hit or something…she had taken the end of the blade for him, hadn't she?

She breathed a shaky breath and forced herself to smile. "T-this…" she managed, her eyes shaking as tears fell from them. "This…could ha-have been di-different…" she managed as the light faded from her eyes and she fell limp in his arms, sad how in the end; the one who had been the one to take her life, cradled her body in her last moments. Her eyes drifted to him, the one she loved. The last words she ever heard him speak were ones that would have made her heart skip a beat; she never would have known that those words were words of war, as her last breath left her; she had thought the best of those words; even if the deceit and hatred behind them wasn't subtle. "If it were different…I never would have found my purpose…"

-:-:-:-seven months earlier-:-:-:-

Her eyes opened and she knew this was what had to be done. She brought the blade up and with swift movements, her hair fell around her; inky blue-black strands stood out against the green grass. She bound her chest tightly, but not too tightly; if she was going to pretend to be a guy, she had to have the same body shape of a guy, not a well-endowed woman. She had come to this time, knowing almost exactly what she was running head first into. She wrapped medical gauze around her eyes, her eyes were extremely feminine; but she also knew her eyes were rare; the Senju had slaughtered the clan for the existence of the jumper. They had taken the jumper down with the rest of the clan, defeating the purpose of their mission.

Her hair was shoulder length and spiky now, her bangs in front choppy and jutting out in spikes. Her hairstyle now reminded her of a combination of Naruto and Sasuke's hair; dark and spiky, yet longer than both of theirs. She focused on steeling her nerves; sooner or later she was going to encounter Madara. She was here to save him from his fate of hatred and war, but the fates seemed to hate her. She had no idea how to do so…she didn't know what triggered his anger and rage…she had no idea how to fix any of this. She had run in blindly and now she couldn't leave.

Not even a day ago she was at home, in her bed reading. The village had begun being rebuilt after Pein had destroyed it. She had been perfectly fine dealing with the upcoming war as well, but then she got this ridiculous idea. "Hey! Let me go save Madara and restore the world to peace by making sure this never happens! Yeah! That will work!" she muttered angrily. The guy was bound to be like… a hundred and fifty in her time…but no…the masked man had to claim to be Madara Uchiha. And yes…she had to go back with her kind hearted self and try and stop every bad thing from happening.

What a genius she was…She activated her Byakugan and searched the surrounding area. Not a soul in sight as far as she could see, which was pretty far; judging on how she was at the border of fire country and could see konoha's birthplace from here. Obviously, the village wasn't there yet, there were only two compounds that were pretty far apart. One was in the center of the forest, while another was located by where the Hokage stone faces would be. She pulled on the black shinobi tunic over heavy fishnets. She wore slightly baggy pants as well. The off white armor was the last thing she put on.

Attracting attention was the last thing she needed, so she would avoid the civilian village; where rumors flew like a flock of birds. She headed straight for the shinobi inn, when she got there, heads turned and eyes narrowed. Men were drinking at the bar and women were shaking slightly. Hinata sat in a booth in the corner and a woman walked over to her. "C-can I get you something, sir?" she asked and Hinata frowned; is that what she sounded like when she stuttered? "Just water please…" she said and the woman nodded frantically, not even caring how Hinata sounded.

Hinata spoke in whispers, so her voice could not be detected as a woman's. A few men from the bar walked over and sat around her, nudging her and trying to get her attention. Hinata's frown became and annoyed sneer. "Don't touch me." She hissed, trying to be intimidating. "Oh did we piss off the newbie?" they chuckled and she sighed, this wasn't going to work. They punched her shoulder hard; Hinata's brows furrowed and she grit her teeth. "Touch me one more time…" she began but they laughed and punched her again. The moment her glass touched the table, the three men's heads hit the table; Hinata having struck the three in the neck with her gentle fist.

She thanked the meek woman and stood, leaving her water behind. The fact she took out those three caused an uproar in the inn. Five more guys rushed on her and she fluidly avoided their drunken hits and kicks. She swiftly took them out, not hesitating for an instant. She then made her way up to the bar and looked at the bar maid, who flinched in fear; despite not being able to tell if Hinata were actually looking at her. "I need a room." Hinata said and she nodded frantically. "Yes sir!" she stammered and Hinata nodded as she handed her a key.

Hinata felt the eyes staring from the bar; she knew they held other intentions. She knew it was a Senju, and she knew that he was going to run straight to his clan leader and tell him of the blind shinobi that took out a bar because they bothered him. She knew that staying longer than one night in this particular inn, was not going to be good for her health. She slipped into her room and before she could get settled, a knock was at her door. She furrowed her brow and walked over to the door. She peeked through the crack between the door and wall and her eyes widened. This was not who she had been expecting. Her hands trembled and her heart raced…what could she do? Could she hide? Could she tell him go away?

"I know you are in there, and I know what you are." His deep voice rumbled from behind the door. Her heart raced even faster, her breathing rapid. Her shaking hands reached for the doorknob and her nails tapped against the doorknob in her fear. "I promise I'm not here to hurt you…" his voice rumbled once more. She tightened her grip on the knob and she pulled it open and took a few shaky steps back. He looked both ways down the hall before he entered the room. He shut the door behind him as he strolled in leisurely.

"How do you know what I am?" she whispered and he smirked lightly. "Only a woman has flexibility like that." He said and her eyes went wide, she was not expecting that. She thought he knew she was a Hyuuga. "So I can't really fool your eyes then can I?" she asked and he chuckled. "My brother pointed it out. I had no idea until he told me, to be honest. But I thought I would test his theory." He chuckled and she laughed lightly. He was different from what she had imagined him to be. She thought that he would be like Sasuke, cold and uncaring…but he didn't seem to be so.

"What's your name?" he asked and she ran a hand through her hair softly. "Hinata…" she said and he raised a brow. "Well that's just not going to work…" he said and she looked at him oddly. "You need a guy name, you can't be acting like a guy and named like a girl. How about Hiro? Or Ryuu? Ryuu is pretty cool…same for Okami…" he said offhandedly and she begun to feel at ease, he didn't seem that bad…"Ryuu…as in dragon and Okami as in wolf?" she asked and he nodded. "Dragons have a flame that I see within you. Or maybe Hibiki...you seem to need an echo." He chuckled and she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips. "Okami, is fine, it makes me feel kinda fierce. Thank you." She said lightly and he nodded.

"Now…I have to go, but be safe….Okami-chan." He chuckled and she nodded. "By the way…my name is Madara, if you ever need help, just call." He said and Hinata nodded. "Goodbye…Madara." She said and shut her door as he gave her a one handed wave. She yanked the gauze from her eyes; it was starting to irritate her eyes. She needed to find something else to hide her eyes instead of the gauze, a mask would do; but she would have to find one first. She smiled slightly, preferably a wolf mask to match her given name.

She rested in the inn for the night, but was gone before dawn, she knew if she had stayed any longer then she wouldn't have made it out; judging on the amount of Senju she could see motivating towards the inn. She bit her lip and sighed in relief, her heartbeat began to slow after her fright. They had been knocking on every door they walked past, asking for the man, Okami. She had heard the barmaid's sniveling and knew she had to run. Her thoughts drifted to Madara, he seemed nice enough, but she wasn't sure she could trust him so easily.

A crunch behind her let her know that someone was on her trail. She activated Byakugan, hoping to see Madara's chakra signature; but it was not him. It was four Senju, she knew she could take them; they didn't have very well developed chakra signatures. Her chakra system was far more advanced than theirs were; their chakra systems looked more like the chakra system of a civilian. Did they not believe in training those in their clan? She whirled on them and they dropped into taijutsu stances.

"So this is how you fight?" she asked quietly and fell into her own sloppy Hyuuga stance. They lunged and her arms swiftly knitted the net of chakra around her and it expanded and sent them flying back. They stood back up and Hinata focused her chakra into her blade that she pulled off her back. They pulled their own blades and prepared to attack again but with one swipe of her blade, theirs shattered before their eyes. "Interesting…I came out here thinking you would be in need of help, Okami-san. How wrong was I?" Madara's voice rumbled from behind her. 'Great, now because of him I'm stuck right in the middle of the feuding clans…' Hinata thought with a frown.

She prepared to use a kage bunshin, but tree roots wrapped around her and Madara jumped backwards. "Hashirama!" he exclaimed excitedly and the man who had his hands in position to hold the jutsu sighed. "Madara." He said simply, but then he turned to her. "I wish to speak with you, Blind warrior." Hashirama said and Hinata tried not to snort at how retarded that sounded. "You realize, I am not blind correct? I am just very good at fighting without using my eyes." She said and Hashirama raised a brow.

"Then why didn't you dodge, I'm assuming you can see clearly even through the gauze, am I correct?" Hashirama asked and Hinata began to fret. Was he saying he knew what she was? "Well, it's time for me to bid the two of you adieu." Hinata said lightly and her clone exploded, sending shards of wood all over so Madara could get away as well. Madara chose not to confront Hashirama at the moment; he had to report to his father. Hinata hit the ground running; the wind whipped her hair all over the place. She was breathing fast, her heart racing. She was scared, there was no doubt about that…

She lost her footing on the tree branch and slipped; she hit the ground and hard, she felt the crack as it happened. A scream ripped from her throat and tears soaked through her bandages covering her eyes. She gently brushed her fingers over her leg to feel for the break. She winced once her fingers brushed over it, her hand glowed green and the green chakra forced the bone back into place swiftly with a second resounding crack. She heard two soft thuds on the ground and she looked up to see glowing red eyes.

"Okami-san, are you alright?" Madara asked as he looked around. "I'm fine, I had broken my leg is all." Hinata whispered and used the medical kit from her pack to create a makeshift splint to keep the bone form moving back out of place. "Break a leg doesn't mean literally do so, you know." Izuna sighed and dropped something in front of her. Hinata looked up at them but they were gone. She lifted the wrapped item up and stared at it in slight surprise. It was a wolf mask much like the Anbu wore in her time. She smiled lightly and ripped the gauze from her eyes as she placed the mask over her face and secured it.

She whimpered as she tried to stand and failed to do so. Three thuds landed in front of her and she looked through the small eye holes in her mask to see the fearsome three: Butsuma, Hashirama, and Tobirama. She forced herself to stand and stumbled back, trying to ignore the pain in her leg. "Suiton: water barrier." She whispered and a barrier of water surrounded her as they walked closer. "Okami-san, please drop the water barrier, we do not wish to fight you." Butsuma said and Hinata glared at him through her mask, she knew he could feel the anger from her.

Tobirama stood with his arms crossed, no surprise there…her eyes went wide when his fingers twitched and her water rippled. She slammed her hands together and made an ice shell around herself by using the freezing winds to drop the temperature of the water. She began to feel the drain now; she had barely slept since she had been here. Most of the time she had either been on the run or fighting people off. She dropped her hands and stared at them. "What do you want with me? You don't even know where I came from, who I am, or why I'm here." She said, and her brows knitted together.

"That may be so, but we request alliance with you, Okami-san." Butsuma said and Hinata put her hands out to both sides and her ice barrier shattered. "How do you won't violate an agreement?" she asked and Butsuma frowned. "I can assure you we speak nothing of the truth." He said and a wicked smirk crossed her lips. "Even if I am not what you think I am?" she asked and they all furrowed their brows and made an effort to drop into a fighting stance. "Please…I'm not going to fight you all, I know when to give up. I would have given up if it were only Hashirama and he had me trapped somewhere I couldn't escape." She sighed and Hashirama furrowed his brows.

"You're a-" he began but she held up her hand to politely silence him. "I'm nothing important, I'm not an idiot. I will join you, but under one condition." She said and Butsuma nodded. "And what would that be?" he asked and she frowned. "That you don't send Hashirama, Tobirama, Kawarama, or Itama after me if I choose to leave your compound." She said and he frowned. "You wouldn't be meeting with Uchiha would you?" he asked and she shook her head. "No, I have no alliances at the moment, I was free roam shinobi." She said and Butsuma narrowed his eyes. "How old are you, and what clan are you from?" he asked, he was obviously suspicious of her, well what he thought to be him.

"I am eighteen, I am not an Uchiha. I have no clan, their existence was wiped off the face of the earth long ago, so what do they matter now?" she asked and he frowned. "Very well." He said and she followed behind them at a distance, she was not going to get close to them. She followed them to their compound but she was just as weary of them as they were of her. She was shown to her room where she collapsed onto the bed she was given.

She hadn't even been able to dose off when a knock was at her door. She sat up and forced herself to stand, her leg was on fire and she really wanted to sleep. She hobbled over to the door and reached to open it, but before she could even touch the knob of the door, it burst open and someone forced her back onto the bed with a kunai at her throat. "Who are you really?!" they sneered and Hinata opened her eyes to see a beautiful white haired woman over her with a fierce look in her eyes. "Akane…Senju…" Hinata said in disbelief. The woman grit her teeth and dug the blade deeper into her neck. "Why do you wear this mask? Are you hiding something, Okami-san?" she hissed and knocked on the mask with the kunai.

"Yes…" Hinata said and slowly reached up to slide the mask up and to the side. Akane's eyes went wide as Hinata revealed her face to the older woman. "You are…a Kunoichi…A Hyuuga no less." She whispered and swiftly slid Hinata's mask back over her face. "Keep yourself hidden, you took out an entire inn of shinobi, they will kill you if they find out you are a woman." She said and Hinata smiled slightly beneath her mask. "If I am meant to die, I will die in battle fighting for someone whom I care for." Hinata whispered and Akane smiled a feral smile. "That's how we Kunoichi do it, we die for the ones we love." She said and left the room. Hinata sighed in relief, Akane's movements were predatory; she reminded Hinata of the Inuzuka. They were always feral and they walked like Akane.

-:-:-:-

Hinata left the Senju compound after a week of nothing but training with the Senju boys and Butsuma. She strolled through the civilian village and was looking at all the things they had to offer. She could feel their eyes on her, their eyes were filled with hatred and anger. She turned towards a woman and she stumbled away and knocked something over. Hinata strolled silently, the fact they feared her made her wonder if this is what it felt like to be exceptionally powerful…

She frowned beneath the mask as she ruffled her spiky hair; she didn't think she would ever get used to this hairstyle. She strolled past one vendor, stopped then returned to the vendor. They had weapons laid out on the shelf and Hinata leaned in to get a closer look at them. The man attempted to hide them away but a katana touched their neck and they froze. "Madara-san." She greeted and she could feel the smirk cross his lips. "Do not hide the weapons from the shinobi…" he said and the man shakily stepped away from the weapons. Izuna stood on the other side and she could feel his eyes roaming her backside as she looked over the weaponry.

"There is nothing of very good value here, they just look pretty. The weapons are obviously not sturdy or sharp enough to do any true damage." Hinata said and grabbed a kunai and attempted to dig the blade into her arm, but it couldn't even cut the cloth. She held the blade within her palm and crushed it. "Useless weapons that would do nothing in a fight for someone's life, are you trying to get someone killed?" she asked and he shook, he was scared beyond belief.

She turned and walked away from the vendor. She decided to spend the day with Madara, which he happily obliged to. "So…you have an alliance with the Senju?" he asked and she turned to look at him and shrugged. "I could give you information if you wish, although they insist that they must train me ruthlessly." She said and he chuckled. "Hashirama once told me of his father and their absurd training regimens." He chuckled and she smiled at him slightly. He really wasn't that bad of a person…

"Allow us to introduce you to our mother…" Madara said and Izuna tore his eyes from her and he smiled lightly as they strode up to a blue-black haired woman, she wasn't very tall; but she reminded her of a princess. She was dressed in a beautiful red and white kimono with the Uchiha fan on the back. She turned to face them and her smile was absolutely beautiful, it made Hinata jealous. "Lady Aurora, my name is Okami." Hinata said and the woman smiled. "I know who you are, Hinata. Madara and Izuna have told me about you. It is my pleasure to grace your presence. You are very brave to fight as a shinobi." She said and Hinata blushed beneath the mask.

"T-thank you…" she mumbled hesitantly. Aurora's elegant fingers traced over the mask and gently lifted it. "You are very pretty, young Hyuuga…" she whispered and the blush still coated her cheeks. "Thank you again…" she said shyly. "Come by here next week on Tuesday and we can do some shopping together, as women…what do you say?" Aurora asked and Hinata smiled a bit. "I guess that couldn't hurt, but I would have to change before I get here and before I leave." Hinata said and Aurora smiled. "Of course! Okami-san's identity shall not be revealed!" she whispered and Hinata smiled, this woman made her feel right at home, she reminded her of her own mother.

Hinata bowed and slid her mask back into place before bowing politely and vanishing into a swirl of leaves and mist. She appeared back in front of the Senju forest. She could see a lake nearby, the urge to practice her water jutsu was tempting; but she knew this wasn't home; she couldn't just do as she pleased here. She walked silently through the forest as Kawarama and Itama appeared from nowhere and she smiled as they landed by her sides.

"Nii-san says you are pathetic, but we don't think so…we think you are pretty cool!" Itama said and she smiled. "Which one? Mr. grumpy?" she asked and both of the younger males burst out laughing. "Yes, Tobirama doesn't think you are strong enough to be an ally of the Senju, but we have seen you practice with father, you are really impressive Okami-san." They said and she smiled. "Well how about I blow your Nii-san off his high horse with one of my water jutsu." She offered and the two cheered happily.

"And how exactly will you do that, you pathetic little wolf?" he grumbled and she glared at him from beneath the mask. "Exactly as I said I was going to, you ego-statistical-" "Enough!" Butsuma yelled and they turned to him. "Both of you are excellent at your own jutsu, so shut the hell up and deal with it Tobirama, Okami-san is none of your concern. Whether or not he is strong is defiantly none of your concern, I haven't seen someone with such advanced taijutsu skills since the Hyuuga were killed off by my father. It would do you well to show respect to show your superior respect, boy; since your taijutsu lacks significantly." Butsuma said and Hinata frowned, this was not good.

Hashirama followed her and the two younger children back to the compound while Butsuma disciplined his second eldest. Hinata frowned and looked at the ground. "Are you ok Okami-kun?" Itama asked and she turned to look at him. "I got Tobirama-san in trouble…I don't very much care for him…but it isn't right that he should be disciplined for something I started." She said softly and Hashirama frowned. "That's just how father is…he doesn't like to be deceived, disobeyed, or disrespected." Hashirama said and the frown that was etched into his lips made him seem older than he was.

"Forgive me…" Hinata whispered as she looked back to see Tobirama get a fist to the face. "I didn't mean for you to get in trouble." She whispered and her tears splashed the inside of her mask. She really didn't trust the Senju, but she didn't like seeing the abuse either. It was ruthless, even the two youngest would get beaten if they did something wrong. Butsuma was a tyrant in his own family, all he looked forward to was taking out the Uchiha clan…his own family didn't matter to him, and she could see that his sons knew it. Kawarama knew this, and not long after the last beating his father gave him, he was found dead on a battlefield, cloaked in his own blood.

Hinata had cleaned him up the best she could for burial…but…he still looked scared…he still looked proud…he looked like what Butsuma had made him to be…the poor innocent child was only a pawn for Butsuma's sacrificial game…A tool that he sent off to die and he hadn't even once shed a tear. When his sons Hashirama and Itama had cried or debated on whether this was right or wrong, Butsuma beat them again and again until they stopped making noise. When he left, Hinata healed them; she couldn't let them be hurt. Not by that tyrant they called father…his awful reign would end soon enough…or so she hoped…


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata and Aurora had been walking through the civilian village for a few hours now, just looking at things and talking. Aurora was dressed in a black kimono similar to the one she had seen her in last, while Hinata wore a tight white tunic style shirt and tight black pants with gauze going up her ankles to below her knees with her ninja sandals on. Her hair was spiky and layered and kind of reminded her of how Madara's hair looked, while her bands spiked down in multiple directions, while Aurora's waist length hair was pulled into a low ponytail that fell limply down her back, while her bands were cut like Hinata's had been.

Aurora had gone to look at something and said she would be back, so Hinata went to go look at what swords they had to offer. She walked up to a different merchant than she had before because she knew the merchant she had gone to before was still going to sell his cheaply made weapons. She saw a beautiful katana and she ran her fingers over the beautiful design. "What is the blade's name?" she asked and the vendor smiled at her. "Her name is Tsubaki, my lady…but she isn't for sale." He said and she frowned slightly. "I probably couldn't afford it anyways, thank you." She said politely, and that's when she felt the pulse of fear chill her veins.

Her fingers shook, she turned to look for someone, but there was no one there. Her eyes scanned the area, her fear getting the best of her. Her heart raced, she couldn't see any familiar faces…no one she knew… no Senju, no Uchiha…her eyes went wide. No Uchiha?! Where did lady Aurora go?! She looked around but couldn't see the beautiful woman anywhere. Her heart raced quicker as the foreboding feeling gripped her tighter. She went over to where Lady Aurora said she was going to be, but there wasn't anyone there; there wasn't a soul in sight.

A glimmer of silver caught her eyes and she walked over to it. She knelt down to pick up the shining amulet and her eyes went wide once she realized that it was Aurora's hair ornament. She began running through the abandoned part of the village looking for her, she couldn't find her anywhere…she heard male laughter and a woman's sobs. The chill came over her full force and her hands trembled as she rounded the corner and saw Aurora…beaten…abused…raped…

Something in her snapped as the tears fell, this woman had been kinder to her than anyone here had been. She couldn't find the urge to speak, she couldn't find her voice…her glistening eyes met with Aurora's as their blade came down. It felt like everything was moving so slow…the bandit/rapist's blade came down slow, but when it caught Aurora's neck and splattered blood everywhere, it had moved faster than it had clicked in her mind. The blood splashed over Hinata as her eyes moved to focus on the blurry figures that had just murdered the woman she had begun to look up to.

The scream ripped from her throat and the tears fell faster than the men did. Aurora lay gasping for air, her own eyes filled with tears as she watched Hinata kill them without even thinking. Once the men were dead, Hinata fell to her knees by Aurora, her shaky hands trying to heal the wound through her tears, she had talked with this woman over and over again. Ever since she had invited Hinata to come look around here with her a month and a half ago…Hinata had made it a regular thing for them to hang out and just talk. She enjoyed the older woman's company.

Aurora placed a weak hand on Hinata's cheek and Hinata began to sob loudly as the life slipped from her eyes. Her hand slipped from Hinata's cheek, leaving trails of blood as it fell. Hinata didn't care who saw her crying, she was mourning the loss of a wonderful friend. She scooped up the older woman carefully as tears streaked through the blood on her cheeks and she began walking. She had no idea where she was taking the older woman, but she knew it was important; so she just kept going, the older woman's body draped over her back piggyback style.

The tears never stopped falling, not even when Hinata tripped and hit the ground outside of the Uchiha compound, only to gently pull Aurora into her arms and try to carry her bridal style even though the woman was just as big as she was, she wouldn't let her drag the ground. Uchiha surrounded her and their whispers of shock, wonder, and sadness went unnoticed by Hinata, who tried to walk past them into the compound but was stopped by guards, whom of which she barely even noticed.

Hinata hit her knees and pulled Aurora close to her as she sobbed loudly. The last three to arrive and see her were the three who took it the worst. "MOTHER!" Izuna yelled, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't even say anything else due to the tears he was choking on; his eyes were so filled with pain and despair. Tajima was on his knees a few feet away, unshed tears glazing his eyes. Hinata managed to lift her head enough to see Madara who was on his hands and knees, throwing up because he was crying the worst…

"I'm so sorry…I left her alone for…a…a….second…that was all…" Hinata managed to murmur as her eyes dulled and the reality of what had happened hit her…the tears continued to fall…but there was no more feeling in her body…she couldn't even hear Madara yelling his pain anymore. It barely registered to her that she was not only coated in Aurora's blood, but that of the men she had killed as well…the only thing she felt was the freezing silver in her bone white grip.

She didn't even realize she had crawled to Madara until she was hugging him. "G-gomen…"she whispered as the last of her energy left her and she hit the ground, the silver ornament landing right in front of Madara, who grabbed it and held it to his chest as he cried. "I…I…can't stay…I...forgive me…" she said and stood uneasily. "I…I…have to go before….before they find me…me here…"she said and they looked at her.

"I truly…tried to save her…" she said as she stumbled off, but her movements were forced. She managed to make it back to the forest and put her normal attire on, mask and all, but the blood was still there…it wouldn't leave her skin…her eyes were clouded over. She had become unresponsive once Hashirama and Tobirama had found her. Itama had run to them screaming that something was wrong with Okami-kun. When they had found her, she was more of a zombie than an actual zombie. Tobirama frowned and shook his head at her. "Pathetic…he was broken that easily?" he asked and Hashirama glared at his younger brother.

He crouched before her and his fingers slipped under the edge of her mask and just as he had begun to pull, her hand shot up and grabbed his arm tightly. He could see her dead, white eyes through the holes in the mask. "Leave it be." Her voice came out raspy. "Are you alright?" he asked and remained crouched before her. "They…they…raped her…then killed her…she was special to me…" Hinata muttered and Hashirama's eyes softened. "Did you love her?" he asked and her dead eyes met his. "She was like my mother…she cared for me like…like she cared for her sons…" her voice came out broken.

"Who did this? I will handle them…" Hashirama said and she laughed bitterly. "I…I killed them…with my bare hands…they…they fell so fast…" she said and he frowned. He helped her up and his eyes went wide as her mask hit the ground and he released her. She stood uneasily as he stepped away from her. "You're a-" he began and her broken eyes met his. "Woman? Hyuuga? Both?" it came out broken; she was a broken woman who had witnessed a rape and murder. Hashirama couldn't imagine how it must have been for her.

Tobirama caught her as she fell, a slight regret in his eyes as he looked at her. "This is why she was weaker than me…" he said and Hashirama glared at him. "We need to get her to father, he will know what to do." Hashirama said and Hinata whimpered unconsciously. Tobirama frowned, he had been excessively harsh to her when he thought she was a man, but now he understood the mask and why she spoke quietly… women were feeble in his father's eyes, the only one who had proven not to be was his mother, who was just as skilled in tracking as a sensor despite not having sensory abilities.

Hashirama lifted her off the ground; her odd armor felt light to the touch and looked hand made. He carried her to his father and set her on a tatami mat that his father had laid out. "So…Okami-san truly was a Hyuuga…" he looked to Akane who strolled over and crouched beside her. "None of this blood is hers…what happened?" she asked and looked up at her remaining three sons. "She witnessed the rape and murder of someone she cared deeply for, apparently the woman had been like a mother to her…" Hashirama said and the rugged features vanished from his mother's face only to be replaced with a soft sensitive frown that showed his mother's age clearly.

"Poor dear…"she said and Hinata's eyes fluttered open and she sat up. "What did you do, Hinata-chan?" Akane asked and all of the men looked at the matriarch of the Senju in slight surprise. "They…they killed her…right in front of me…she treated me like she treated her own children., and I stood there like an idiot and watched her be killed. I...I…I let them kill her! I had frozen up and I couldn't move anything…she is only dead because of me…" she sobbed shaking her head as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hinata…some things happen for a reason, as awful as it may be…some people die to make others stronger…Kawarama…my son…he was killed, but you see how the rest of my boys fought to get stronger…He may not physically be here, but he will always be in our hearts. You can't let this keep you down, you will only get stronger because of this…" she said and Hinata's lavender eye met hers. "Me becoming stronger…is not what I am worried about…She had a son…and he is the one I worry will become too strong…" Hinata said and Akane looked at her husband with furrowed brows.

-:-:-:-:-

Days later, Madara was still sitting by his mother's grave he still held her hair ornament close to him as if it were his salvation. He heard footsteps, but they were too light to be from his clan; even so, he didn't turn around. He placed his hand on his mother's grave as the person crouched beside him; he didn't even look at them until fresh tears hit the marbled stone marker. "I'm so sorry…I...i can't express how sorry I am…I know I have no right to ask forgiveness." She sobbed and he looked at her.

The tears rolled down her cheeks, but in her grasp was a bouquet of his mother's favorite red and white roses. She set them on his mother's grave and stood; she was going to leave. "Please…don't go…I…I know this wasn't your fault. Please, stay with me for a while…" he muttered and she barely heard him. She walked back over and sat next to him on the grass and wiped her eyes. He could feel her eyes searching over him and he looked to her. "Thank you…" he said and she leaned towards him, he understood that they had become friends, he also understood that she was under the Senju at the moment; but he didn't care, he knew she wouldn't dare lay a finger on his clan…she cared too much for them.

She linked her arm through his and leaned up against him. "How long have you been out here, Madara?" she asked lightly, he had been out here for a while. He couldn't exactly remember how long, he guessed she could tell because he was really cold. "I'm not sure anymore…they stopped trying to drag me in after they got Izuna in days ago…" he said softly and she frowned. She used her connection to him to attempt to lift him off the ground. He realized what she was trying and stood. She didn't release him once as they made their way back to the Uchiha compound.

His father seemed the tiniest bit surprised when he walked through the door with the tear stained woman attached to him at the hip. Izuna sat in his room refusing to leave. Madara stood on his own as Hinata walked freely through his home. Tajima was curious as to what she were going to do as she strolled softly down the hall to Izuna's room. Hinata saw him lying in the floor, his eyes fogged over and his face expressionless. She crouched by him and shook him softly. His foggy eyes drifted up to her.

"Please…Please don't give up…we…we can have peace. We can make it happen, but you have to take this…and make yourself stronger. I know I am not one to talk, because I am weak…I am useless, and I can't do anything right…but…you and Madara…you can't give up…one day you will be able to walk around without fear of death…but…you have to make it happen." She said tears falling again, her fingers fisting against his floor.

He looked at her and furrowed his brows… "Okami-chan…mother wouldn't want-" he began but she shook her head at him. "Your mother wanted you and your brother to live a life in peace, but she knew you would have to fight for it! She knew it wasn't going to be easy! She…she told me there would be sacrifices…I never expected that she would be one…never! She told me that you two could do it, and I believe her! She said you two would have to take the sacrifices that come, and become stronger to prevent further sacrifice…so please…don't give up." Hinata begged and Izuna stared at the teary eyed woman.

"That…that sounds exactly like mother…" he said and he stood, causing her to look up at him in surprise. "You can be our motivator, you are our friend after all. If we have someone to keep us motivated, someone to keep us alive and determined, we will never fail." He said and offered a hand to her. She shakily took his hand and he helped her stand. "Be our rock, keep us standing." He said and Madara stood in the doorway, a look of agreement on his face. "Even if the Senju have their claws on you, it will only be easier to help us; we have an ally in the enemy's grasp, but they have yet to realize this." Madara said and Hinata nodded.

She understood what this meant, this meant she were a double agent with the means to only truly protect one clan; Uchiha. The Senju were strong and she knew that they wouldn't be taken down so easily, the Uchiha were strong as well, but there was this look of hopelessness that had gripped both brothers; she knew that look would come back if they didn't have someone to stand by them. She knew that if she didn't be their support, they would die…

There was still one thing she didn't understand though; there was this look of pride Madara had given her. It made her heart race; the sheer intensity of his gaze took her breath away. It was then she realized that she had made a mistake, even if it weren't known. She had made a massive mistake by coming here. The look in his eyes made her realize that he depended on her with not only his life, but his brothers and fathers as well. And with that look…she realized she would follow him to the ends of the earth and back just to keep that pride in his eyes, to keep the slight smile on his lips. She realized, that she would quite possibly die for him if the need came to be.

-:-:-:-:-

Hinata swiftly made her way back to the Senju compound; it had been common knowledge within the clan that Butsuma was trying to figure out what to do with her, she was Hyuuga after all and the last one. She knew she couldn't trust him, he held a chakra so menacing it blew Sasuke's out of the water. She skidded to a stop and Hashirama gave her a very light smile, she felt obligated to return the small smile, but didn't do so. She felt as if she were beginning to become too comfortable with them. Tobirama got in her way and he had a determined look in his eyes.

"Spar with me, Hyuuga-san." He said and she frowned but obliged. "Alright…" she said and landed beside the Senju's koi pond. He smirked and flew through water style hand signs. The water dragon flew at her and she flew through the hand signs she had seen Sasuke use before. She had been practicing with the jutsu but it still managed to get her every time she used it, but the effect on the enemy was far greater than the effect it had on her.

"Kirin!" she said and waved her wrist down, the lightning dragon flew through her before it wrapped around the water dragon and electrified it and the water surrounding Tobirama, who had to jump back or get shocked as well. Hinata hit her knees and held her chest in pain. "You would use a jutsu that would hurt you, just to win?" Hashirama asked and Hinata forced herself to stand. "If…If you don't fight with the intent to kill, even in a spar…you take life too easy…and you die faster…" she panted, her right eye was shut in pain as she flew through the exact same hand signs, but this time she had better control of the dragon.

"Very admirable." Butsuma said as the dragon flew through her once more, then it collided with Tobirama's water barrier. "I would say that you are suicidal, but why not? If you could take out a massive amount of enemies with that…but yourself as well I believe you would be doing your side a great honor. Especially if that works against Uchiha." Butsuma said and Hinata hit her knees gasping for air. "It does not work against certain Uchiha…I learned it from an Uchiha years ago." She said and Butsuma's eyes went wide before they narrowed. "So you have ties with Uchiha?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I learned it when I was younger from a wandering Uchiha. I have no ties with the clan as it is now." She said and Butsuma smirked. "Now…don't lie to me…I know you do. Aurora Uchiha, the matriarch of the Uchiha clan was killed by members of my own clan. That was who you were crying about, wasn't it?" he asked and her eyes went wide as he strolled over to her. "Traitors have no place in this clan, nor our world." Butsuma said and wood wrapped around his sons and Hinata screamed out in pain as his foot connected with her side. Tobirama and Hashirama were forced to watch as their father abused the Hyuuga.

Itama stared at the scene with shaking eyes, he had never seen his father be so brutal with anyone, especially not a woman. Roots wrapped around Hinata and she screamed louder as the tightening of the roots didn't stop. "You do realize, little Hyuuga…that you will not leave this compound alive. Traitors never do." He said and circled her, his sons were silent. He looked to them to see they were writhing in pain as well, but they couldn't break the roots because of the chakra sealing tags that were grown into the wood.

Hinata couldn't get away from him she knew that this was going to be the end of her. She dropped her head forward and Butsuma chuckled as he lifted her head by her short spiky bangs. "You even look like that Madara, how sickening." He said and used his other hand to attempt to remove her eye. She screamed and tried to move away from him but he held her tight. She managed to rip her face away from his intrusive fingers and she head-butted him and a root shot up and broke through her bindings. She hit the ground as blood trickled from both of her eyes and her vision blurred. She managed to stand and run before he could get back up. A red haired woman appeared and grabbed her and vanished form the forest with her.

"Are you alright?" She asked and Hinata tried to focus on the red haired woman. "No…I can't see…" she sobbed and the red haired woman quickly got her out of the Senju forest. "I know…where else can you go? She asked and Hinata frowned. "Uchiha…I think." She said and the red head shook her head. "While you are in this state, I don't think you should…Butsuma would only seek you out more." She said and Hinata frowned. "You are Mito…Hashirama's girlfriend…why would you help me?" she asked and Mito frowned. "Because I know how Butsuma is…" she said and Hinata frowned. "And Hashirama knows as well…he told me he felt something was off with his father ever since you returned covered in blood." She said and bandaged Hinata's eyes with the gauze she hated more than anything.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It was about two more months before anyone had heard from her. Mito had treated her as best as she could, but Hinata's sight had begun to fade away because of the veil of time disconnecting the nerves in her eyes. When she returned to the Uchiha, she learned that Butsuma was no longer the head of the Senju, but instead Hashirama was. She also learned that Tajima and Madara had swapped positions as well. Madara, Izuna, and Tajima had welcomed her with somewhat open arms when she returned.

Madara and Izuna had also opted to assist her in training without using her eyes, which helped a lot. She was clumsy and the rest of the Uchiha had begun calling her a failure, a nuisance, a fool for even trying. They didn't accept her one bit, they kept pushing Madara and Izuna to make her leave, but they wouldn't make her go. They wouldn't force her to leave no matter how bad she screwed up…but she figured their kindness wouldn't last much longer if she kept failing like she did…she figured on of these times Madara and Izuna would get sick of her and then they would give her the boot, just like her father kept threatening when she continuously failed. They were going to give up on her too, and she knew it.

Ok…so yeah I'm going to bump up the rating on the story because of the prequel…it's a bit…rough… anyways… the next chapters for this story are coming up. And the next chapters for a light in the dark and bad influence are coming up too! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Oh look! Another veil of time update! It has been a while…. But I still love my readers! Anyways, so some of you already know I cosplay I went in to go get my bangs cut to the way Hinata has hers, my hair is already dark blue and all; and the lady gets one half cut awesomely, then she goes to the other side and starts cutting…let's just say…I walk in looking kinda like Juvia from Fairytail, ask to look like Hinata…and walk out looking like some funky cross between Hinata and Kanda from D-Grayman… Someone give me a katana! I shall be called Kanda-chan and I will cut you down with…with…with uh… make shift Mugen! XD anyways onto the story… I have done wasted enough of your time lol.

Hinata's palm struck upwards on Izuna and he flipped backwards. "Now you're getting it Hinata-chan!" he complimented and she smiled softly. "Thank you Izuna-kun!" she chirped softly and dodged to the left to avoid his foot. She had been training with them to sense chakra down to the smallest amounts, she could now even sense the natural chakra like the chakra that flowed through the trees, much like a sage mode. She sensed his foot coming towards her right side and she jumped and grabbed his leg and propelled herself to the ground a few feet away.

"Izuna, that's enough for the day." Madara's voice rang out and Hinata smiled. "Madara-kun." She greeted and listened as his footsteps neared her. His massive chakra signature was driving her senses mad; she had to attempt to tune it out while she talked to him. She could tell he was close because even from a foot away, she could hear his steady heartbeat. "Do you think you could patrol with us?" he asked and she frowned, she bit her lip and turned her face up to face him, although she couldn't see him; she figured the polite thing to do was look his way. "What are you kidding Madara?!" one man yelled and she faced the ground as she heard him turn away from her to face the man.

"You can't be serious! We told you she needs to go! She is only going to hinder us! Do you not realize This?" the man snapped and Hinata fiddled with her fingers as she felt tears drip from her nonexistent eyes. She found it a sick reminder that she could still cry without even being able to see what she was crying for. "You are the fool, Hiseki! You dare come forth to complain? To me? The clan leader…or has your simplistic mind forgotten who I am?" Madara asked and Hinata continued to set her empty gaze upon the ground, where no one could see she was actually crying.

"You are going to risk your life to let some…some blind whore fight with you?! What if she kills one of us by accident!?" Hiseki snapped and she heard Madara's footsteps leave her side. She faced the ground, but her senses honed in on his massive chakra signature. He made his way over to the man, Hiseki, and she heard an awful sound. she covered her ears to keep from having to hear the disgusting choking sound. Her face scrunched up as more tears fell.

'Did he kill him?' was all she could think about. Her hands couldn't drown out the disgusting noise, but she heard it fading away ever so slowly. She had tuned everything out, their chakra, their fighting, everything, but that awful sound wouldn't leave her alone. Her tears wouldn't stop falling and she jumped when someone was carefully wiping them away. Warm hands carefully wiped away all of the offending tears that refused to stop flowing. Reality soon came back with a ruffle of her spiky hair.

She could feel his chakra, it spiked as if he felt guilty for upsetting her and she calmed down a bit. "I-is he-" she began and he sighed and shook his head, but realizing that once again, she couldn't see it, he frowned. "No, he isn't dead, I put him in a genjutsu. That's all, I promise." He said and she sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. "A-alright…" she said softly and he frowned and held his hand out to her. She could tell that he had moved, but she couldn't tell what it was that had moved. She knew he was going to get tired of having to help her with everything all the time.

She jolted in surprise when his hands found their way to hers and gently made her grasp his hand. He chuckled and she blushed. So that's what he had done. "Come on, Hinata. Father wants us to eat before we all go on patrol tonight." Madara said and she nodded. "Alright, Madara-kun." She said and she felt his chakra ripple when she called him that. His chakra always did that odd ripple when she called him that, she guessed it bothered him…Izuna's chakra jolts when she calls him 'Izuna-kun' so she figured he must like she calls him that… , or it could be he just gets some sick joy out of it…the little pervert…

She gripped his hand tightly and reached her other hand up to lay it on his arm to help herself guide the pebbled path better. Without sight, everything was different the pebbles beneath her feet felt surreal and oddly shaped. The grass that she felt beneath her bare feet when she strolled through the garden was soft and dewy against her bare toes. She could feel more now, and actually FEEL. She felt everything, heard everything, all whilst she saw nothing.

She felt him turn towards her, and she knew he was probably watching her to see if she stumbled or something of the sort. Those two were always watching, waiting for her to show a sign of weakness and defeat in her blindness. She never showed any, not while they were watching. She felt her toes brush over the doorway and she smelled the food before they had even reached the second door at the very end of the expansive and long hallway. He gently pushed her towards the door and the smell of food washed over her.

She sat at the end of the table beside Madara, who sat on the side, but also by Tajima who sat at the very end. Izuna always sat across from her, she could feel his chakra as he sat down. Hinata tried not to turn to look at the place at the end of the table across from Tajima. The empty seat had been set as well, her favorite plate and glass sat neatly at the end, representing the gone; but never forgotten Uchiha matriarch, Aurora. Hinata knew that her things were still there because…she had seen them there when she hadn't been blind. She knew the only reason those elegant dishes would be moved was to clean them and keep them from getting dirty. She could also tell that the hair ornament that Aurora had worn was still there, but it had taken her a while to be able to sense the subtle chakra that resided within.

Madara sighed and nudged her with his foot, she could tell that Tajima was watching her; she just couldn't bring forth the courage to face them man. "Hinata, we would like to see how your training has been going…so…we ask you to join us in patrol tonight." Tajima said and Hinata blinked, she expected him to scold her for digging up painful feelings but he didn't. She nodded hesitantly. She could hear the smirk that crossed his lips. "Good, thank you." He said and she reached to feel for the chopsticks and Madara stopped her roaming hand and placed the utensils in her grasp with a small chuckle.

She heard Tajima and Izuna chuckle as well and she felt the heat flood to her face, she was probably redder than a tomato, but she couldn't see it either way. "Don't be a klutz, Hinata-chan. Allow us to help you to an extent. We aren't going to spoil you, but we can help." Izuna said and she could feel her face heat up a bit more, but all the same her lips twitched up into a small smile. "Thank you." She said and she could hear the ruffling of fabric from the end of the table, she assumed that Tajima had finished eating judging by the face it was him who had stood.

"Alright, since everyone is now finished, Madara would you please assist in getting Hinata ready?" Tajima asked and Madara stood from his place beside her. "Lucky." Izuna grumbled and Hinata frowned in his direction with a blush on her cheeks. "P-pervert." She stammered as she stood and spun on her heel to keep from having to face him. He just laughed from behind her. Madara placed his hand in the crook of her elbow and helped her out of the room. "Please…don't mind him." Madara sighed. Hinata smiled.

She figured Madara would figure she was used to it by now and stop commenting about it; but he always had to tell her to ignore him in some form or fashion. Now Hinata wasn't completely useless when it came to getting herself ready, she could manage the chest bindings and her undergarments and things of the sort, so she was good there. The things that got her were the ones that had clasps and ties. When they reached her room he closed the door behind them. He went over to her closet and sifted through to get her armor and her patrol gear.

He turned around to see her fumbling with the knot behind her back. He walked over and his arms went under hers to take the knot from her grasp and he untied it swiftly. He pulled back the slightest bit and she was facing him, he knew she couldn't see him; but the power of her sightless gaze was still there. "I miss being able to see…" she whispered. He raised a brow as her delicate hands reached up towards him. "What do you miss seeing the most?" he asked and she was silent as her fingers traced over the edges of his ears to fall and follow along his jaw line. Her thumbs drifted up and over his solely masculine cheek bones and then her fingers traced his brow and his eyes closed to allow her the blind curiosity she sought.

"I miss…everything...almost everything about the world…I miss being able to see it all." She whispered and her fingers traced over his lips and she could feel the smirk that formed on them. She had felt his hands move to the hem of her training shirt and her brow furrowed as he yanked up and the shirt flew to some random corner in the room. Hinata blushed a dark red and covered her chest with a squeal. "M-Madara!" she squealed and he chuckled. Hinata snatched the shirt he had touched to her fingertips and swiftly pulled it over her head and smacked his hands away when he tried to help her tie the knot in the back. "Would you like me to help with the pants too? I could assist in removing them, I can't promise they will go back on though." He said in a voice so serious that it made her head jerk towards him.

She couldn't even stammer out the word pervert, no matter how hard she tried. She could hear him chuckle and if she could see in the mirror, she could imagine herself looking like a train shooting steam everywhere. She shook her head rapidly and she heard her bed creak as he sat upon it. "Alright…your loss then." He sighed, he still sounded so serious! 'what the hell!?' she thought and blushed darker. The thick cloth of her pants brushed against her hand and she blinked. The fabric brushed her hand again and she smiled softly as she took them. He was adamant about helping her…it reminds her of when she had overexerted her eyes and had lost her sight. Neji had tried to be sneaky about it, but she knew it was him who had been following her around and helping her.

She couldn't find anything without them…Madara and Neji…they may not seem like they care but they would help her even if she tried to be independent. She attempted to pull her pants up her leg but she tripped and began falling. She expected to hit the floor but warm hands steadied her and helped her stand back up. "T-thank you…" she said, embarrassed. He chuckled and allowed her to finish changing. He had gone to sit back down and once she was finished she heard the creak of her mattress as he stood back up.

She felt the chill of her armor being placed against her torso and she reached up to hold it there as Madara clasped the metal clasps behind her shoulder blades and then the clasps attaching her chest armor to the armor on her hips. He placed a kunai pouch in her grasp and she secured it to her thigh without his help. "Now, we could quite possibly work on helping you get used to your armor as well." He said and she nodded silently. She wasn't sure how well that was going to go about since she could hardly clasp it when she wasn't wearing it.

She heard him sigh and then she felt him run his fingers through her hair. He grabbed the brush on the counter by her bed and began working on putting her hair in a ponytail. Her hair now reached her lower back and got in the way at times, but…she refused to cut it. He was gently working towards tying her hair in a ponytail and she smiled. "Why don't you put your hair in a low ponytail or something of the sort?" she asked quietly and he was silently as he tied her hair up in a sturdy top knot. She heard him ruffle his own hair with a sigh and she resisted the giggle that threatened to escape.

"Izuna does it, so I was wondering why you didn't. I t-thought maybe there was a specific reason or something." She said softly and he snorted. "Its girly. I have seen grown men put their hair in a ponytail and it…it just… kills the masculinity of a man. Izuna is a different story…mother's boy." Madara said simply and Hinata giggled. "So it was a masculinity thing." She giggled and he chuckled. "I'm sorry I don't meet your feminist type needs." He snorted and walked towards her. She furrowed her brow as his chakra rippled as he walked towards her.

She felt his cold hands land on her hips, the contact brought goose bumps to her now exposed skin. He chuckled and leaned closer to her. Her breath hitched and her heart was beating faster than a race horse could run. She could feel his warm breath on his neck and she shivered involuntarily. She felt herself getting dizzy and he chuckled as he felt her shiver. "You're so easy to tease…" he muttered as he leaned closer to her. She could now feel his breath on her lips, and the urge to close the gap became overwhelming. She felt him lean forward and she could tell they were so close, but then he turned and strolled out of her room with a laugh. "Come on Hinata-_CHAN_ wouldn't want to keep father waiting any longer." He said and she tried to control her blush but failed as she ran after him.

His footsteps altered and she pouted as he chuckled. "Maybe, if you would allow…we could finish that later." He chuckled and she focused her embarrassed glare anywhere but his chakra. "N-no!" she huffed and he chuckled. "Aww, but you seemed so into it." he snorted and she blushed darker. "You're mean…" she huffed and he rolled his eyes, despite her not being able to see it. "I promise I won't be so mean." He snorted and she huffed again and ran out of the front door then spun on her heel and kicked the ground.

Madara couldn't even dodge the rock that smacked him in the forehead. He blinked and grinned as he wiped the small trickle of blood from his forehead. "Damn…that was almost an impossible hit for me…but she nailed it blindly." Izuna's voice rang out and Tajima chuckled. "I told you she was special." Tajima chuckled and Hinata made her way to them. "So, would you like someone else to help you get ready from now on?" Tajima asked with a smirk and Hinata huffed. "Don't let him lie to you." She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "He is just an older version of Izuna." She whined and Tajima burst out laughing. "You though he was different?! Well… so did I until I realized I was seeing a miniature copy of Madara running around when we had Izuna. Madara is just a closet pervert." Tajima chuckled and waved a hand in front of his face. "there is hardly a difference between them." He chuckled as he turned to face the gates of their home.

"Well, time to get serious. Hinata, you and Izuna try not to kill each other. Madara, you're with me, alright?" he asked and Madara nodded. "Alright, let's go." He said and they vanished from sight. Izuna had hardly noticed that Hinata had done the same before he ran to catch up to her. He heard her even footsteps and he smirked. "You are using that sage mode thing…why don't you tell Madara you can use it?" he asked and she slowed her pace. "I don't know what he would say…or think…" she said softly and Izuna shrugged.

"I doubt he would care…" Izuna said and she looked at him with her empty sockets, nothing but darkness resided there so she had a habit of keeping her eyes closed. The black markings that crossed over her face in an 'X' and curved up to form a circle over her brow confused him, he didn't understand the concept of the jutsu, but apparently she could see the chakra within all living things and could heal herself now. It was something Hashirama had taught her in secret while she had lived with them.

"I feel a bit bad for taking this jutsu…I didn't trust them, but despite knowing that I didn't trust him…he still taught me this jutsu." She said and he rolled his eyes. "Well maybe the Senju thought you were special too." He scoffed and she watched him jump in front of her. She furrowed her brow as she saw chakra spike ahead. "Izuna, four shinobi ahead. They have moderate chakra signatures, but…there is a fifth. Be wary of him." She said and Izuna scoffed. "over protective as usual." He chuckled and dropped from the trees to take on the men that invaded the Uchiha domain.

He took the moderately skilled shinobi out quickly and she watched as the fifth strolled leisurely forwards. "Izuna Uchiha." The man greeted bitterly. "Tobirama Senju." Izuna greeted and the two circled each other like predator and prey. Hinata dropped down and made her way to the two men. The marks receded from her face and she hit the ground behind Izuna. Tobirama's head jerked up to see Hinata standing there. "Hinata…" he said softly and she furrowed her brow, she had never heard him speak so softly towards her.

"Leave T-Tobirama." She stammered and he grit his teeth. "Why should I leave!? Hashirama has been looking everywhere for you and you betray him like this?!" he snapped and Hinata's head jerked up at him and tears fell from her empty eyes. "Your father tried to kill me! He tried to steal my eyes! You Senju betrayed me!" she sobbed and Tobirama attempted to push Izuna out of the way to get to her but Izuna head-butted him and that set the whole thing off. She could hear their fists colliding with each other. It was awful…then she heard him unsheathe a blade. Tobirama rushed at Izuna, his blade held high.

She heard the awful swish of the blade cutting through skin and she sensed that no one was on the ground, but they were now in a battle of wills. The blade was cutting deeply between Izuna's pointer and middle fingers. He let out an enraged yell when he grabbed the blade with his other hand and threw Tobirama's blade away from him. She saw Izuna shoot forwards and she could tell that this match went to Izuna because Tobirama yelled out in pain as Izuna's fist collided with Tobirama's stomach. Tobirama was on one knee on the ground as he reached for his blade and he sheathed it as Izuna turned around to face her.

Hinata felt Tobirama's chakra spike and he rushed forwards as Izuna began to turn back around. He was grabbed by someone behind him and he stopped mid run. "It's time to go…now Tobirama." Hashirama's voice echoed out and Izuna let the fear seep into his bones after the two had vanished. Hinata made her way over to him and she patted him on the cheeks to knock him out of his shocked stupor. "Izuna-kun…" she called out to him as she patted his cheeks a little rougher.

"I could…I could have died…" he said and she frowned as she shook his shoulder lightly. "But you didn't Izuna-kun…you have to be careful, alright?" she asked and he nodded. She sighed in relief and he hugged her tightly, surprising her. "I think I need to listen to you more…" he said softly as he buried his face in her shoulder. She hesitantly hugged him back and nodded. "I think that would help sometimes, Izuna-kun." She whispered and he released her from his embrace.

She turned on her heel and grabbed Izuna by his coat. "Come on, Izuna…I think they should be ready to regroup now." She said and he blinked and nodded. "Yeah, alright." He said and she heard him scratch his neck in embarrassment. "Izuna-kun…I could teach you this jutsu if you would like for me to." She said softly and he made a face but she couldn't see it. "I don't need a jutsu created by them. I will be fine with you, dad, and Madara fighting with me." he said and he saw a glimpse of a smile cross her lips. "You really think I'm an asset?" she asked and he stared at her. "Yeah. I really do." He said and she beamed in his direction. "Thank you, Izuna-kun." She said and he chuckled.

"Even if you can't do as much as you used to, you can still help out like any sensor can. There is also the fact that you can fight even though blind! That's better than any ol' sensor the Senju could spawn up." He chuckled and she laughed lightly. She felt Madara and Tajima's chakra rushing their way. She stopped and Izuna did as well. "Madara." Izuna greeted as his brother landed before them. Madara took in Izuna's state with a frown. "You have a bit of trouble?" his father asked and Izuna shrugged dismissively.

"He fought Tobirama, and that was the only trouble we had…" Hinata said softly and Madara nodded. "we will tend to our wounds when we return to the compound." Tajima said and everyone in the group nodded. "Who did you fight, Madara?" Izuna asked taking in Madara's beat up state. "Hashirama Senju." Was all he said as they made their way back to the compound. Once there, Hinata set to work treating their wounds and healing the larger ones. Once she had finished healing all of their larger wounds, she healed the smaller ones.

"Thank you, Hinata." Madara said and she smiled and nodded at him. "You're wel-" she began but his arms wrapped around her and she returned the embrace. "You are always helping someone selflessly and no one ever thanks you for doing so. We don't have a medic and the only person close enough to be a medic is you and yet the rest of the clan treats you so badly." He said and she smiled. "Trust me…the things they say hurt, but I have never found a word that could hurt more than a friend leaving you because of untreated wounds." She said and he nodded.

"As Madara said, thank you. We are grateful that despite how ignorant and annoying we can be, you still help us." Tajima said and Hinata nodded politely. "It is no problem, I swear…you…you all are my family and I couldn't live without any of you." She said and the three Uchiha males nodded to her. And as they walked by her, they each ruffled her hair affectionately. She blushed lightly as Madara's lips pressed themselves against her forehead. "Good night, Hinata-chan."

I was so tired that I could hardly finish this one. I bet you thought I was going to kill off Izuna in this chapter *Rolls eyes* of course not! Anyways! Some junky up at the college campus stole my books for my online classes so my school work for those classes is at a stand still at the moment because I have had to buy those books all over again. People man, a lot of them are just freaking thieves! Thank goodness they left my laptop, they locked my computer up for three hours because they couldn't figure out the password, but I still have it and I can still write for you all! I'm so glad they couldn't figure out my password and I am so glad I set one or I wouldn't be writing this now! So anyways, I will be writing as much as I can while I can just because I have that awful dreadful feeling of you never know what is going to happen and I don't want to leave you all at the wall of no passage! lol


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